Please Dont Go
by REVOLUTION 25
Summary: Ever since that fateful day when everything had been stolen from him, all he had known is violence and war. Until he meets someone that touches his heart in ways he never thought existed. A series of one-shots depicting the journey of Shepard and Tali's relationship and how they fell in love. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Over the course of my Mass Effect binge after the release of ME3, I wrote several one shots depicting one of my favorite couples, Shepard and Tali. These two are damned cute together and I've got a thing for their relationship. I've never pictured myself as Shepard with Tali or anything creepy like that, that shits a bit pathetic. But i do love their story.

One thing you should know about my Shepards past. Born on Mindwoir, Biotic and War Hero. I threw in a bit of the ruthless past for some more psychological shit to work with. After they had beaten back the invaders, Shepard led a small team after them, killing any he found even the ones that surrendered. Consequently, the Pirates of the Terminus know him as "The Butcher of Elysium."

NOW, this Short is a differant take on Shepard and Tali's first meeting.

Im expecting alot of reviews, so get to it.

* * *

The Wards where truly a sight to behold, even with the somewhat less than respectable reputation they had. The 5 arms spread out before him, its inhabitants going about their business as usual. Cars and ships of every make, model and color imaginable flew in a never ending flow of traffic. "This isn't a space-station... its a god damned city..." Shepard thought aloud, to nobody in particular as he stood watching from an observation window.

He felt like a true tourist, a feeling that he disliked, but all the same he honestly was right now. He had dismissed Alenko and Williams until they were needed at the citadel tower, knowing that they all needed some alone time after Eden Prime...

The N7 operative let out a long sad sigh. Another colony destroyed. Just like Mindwoir...

The instant those thoughts came up he crushed them, refusing to let the memories take life. He couldn't afford to let himself fall into that dark hole, not again... not now.

Looking back up at the Wards, ignoring the stares of the passerby's behind him, he silently wondered if his parents had ever seen the Citadel. He chuckled lightly; what would they say if they saw him now? An Alliance N7 Marine, a candidate to be the first human SPECTRE? His brother would no doubt be fuming with jealousy, as he was the one who had wanted to enlist. John had just wanted to be a farmer, like their dad.

Turning around, he observed the crowd that flowed around him, talking and laughing happily as they carried on with their lives. They had no idea what had happened, and from the sound of the council he doubted any of them would care. Well, most of them. There were good people out there, he knew that. They were just few and far between.

He closed his eyes and took in the sounds around him, taking a deep breath, getting a feel for the enviorment and trying to relax. A rush of footsteps like a stampede, the dim roar of voices, the computerized tones of advertisements... Flesh being torn apart, metal being fused in its place. Screaming, a cacophony of howls and mechanical roars. Slaughter, dieing, death, machines killing every living thing in sight. Reapers. They're coming...

"Hey! Hey buddy, you alright?" Shepards eyes snapped open and he gasped in shock. "Hello? You ok human?" Johns head whipped around and came face to face with a young Batarian. The alien stared back at him with a look of what he assumed was concern on his face.

"You looked like you were having some kindof a fit. You want me to call C-Sec?" The Batarian asked, searching John for injuries. The N7 operative stood there, his brain having trouble restarting.

"Yeah... I mean no!" The Commander said, still trying to process everything. "No. Im fine... Thankyou."

He stared at the Batarian, somewhat in shock, having difficulty trying to decide which pair of eyes to focus on. The young alien grinned and stepped back. "If you say so. Take care human." And with that, the Batarian turned on its heel and walked away, dissapearing into the crowd.

John was stunned. A Batarian, a race he had sworn never ending hatred against... He snorted. Well, like he had said, there were good people out there. Even Batarians...

Turning back towards the veiw of the Wards, he watched a Turian cruiser drift slowly by, losing himself again in his thoughts. The vision from Eden Prime... it haunted him in his dreams and now apparently in his wakening hours as well. What the hell did they mean? And what were the 'Reapers'... He felt like he knew the name...

He closed his eyes and tried to remember what he had just seen. Metal... Flesh... Synthetics? Geth? No... And that thought he couldn't get out of his mind. The one that had made him wake up in cold sweats for 3 nights now. The Reapers were coming...

He sighed, opening his eyes and hung his head in defeat. It didn't make sense. Any of it.

"I need a drink." He thought outloud. He turned and merged into the neverending crowd of people, hoping to find a place that served a decent human beverage.

An hour later, he sat on a bench outside a small human owned shop, coke in hand. It tasted a little watered down to him, but that wasn't surprising. All the way out here, he supposed they had to in order to make their supply last until they could get more.

He curiously observed an Avena terminal as a Turian and Asari couple inquired about a place to find home decor. An alien couple... he had to admit, it was very interesting to see different species together. He remembered reading a news article a few years back about the growing trend among humans.

Watching said couple pass infront of him, he chuckled to himself. He'd be lieing if he said he'd never checked out an Asari before. And he didn't know a single Marine that didn't have at least one issue of Fornax hidden somewhere.

Getting up and stretching, he politely stepped aside to let a Volus pass infront of him before walking over to the nearest recycle-can and disposing his empty cup in it.

As he double checked his Omni-tool for any messages from Kaiden or Anderson about the hearing, he overheard the Volus yelling at somone.

"Watch where your going! *breath* Clanless!" Yelled the indignant Alien.

"Please! I need help! M-my suits been breached! I need a doctor!" Came a panicked female voice.

That caught Shepard's attention. The Volus dismissed her with a scoff and waddled off, giving Shepard a better look at whomever he had been arguing with.

A petite female in what he assumed was an enviorment suit, was standing cradling her left arm stood the off to the side of the walkway. If he remembered his Alliance classes on species correctly, she was a Quarien. That was new, he had never seen one of those before.

He was confused though. She was clearly wounded, but nobody was even giving her a second glance. "The fuck..." he said brows furrowed, as he watched a Turian brush off he plea for aid.

Shutting off his Omni-tool, he made his way through the crowd over to her.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked, approaching the alien. The Quarien, jumped and looked at him, evidently stunned somebody was paying attention to her. "N-no... I... my suits been punctured..." she said, suddenly shy.

Suit puncture... did that mean she was going to suffocate? He thought back hard to the classes the Alliance had given in bootcamp. No... Quariens had... Immuno-somthing or other. He knew it had somthing to do with germs, but not much else.

"Are you injured?" He asked, trying to get a better look at her arm. She nodded, trying to move so that he couldn't see her arm. "Let me take a look."

"Are you Alliance?" the young alien asked. "Yes. My names John Shepard. Im a Commander with the Alliance." She seemed to calm down a bit and offered her arm.

He took it and gently moved her hand away from her wound. Upon inspection years of battlefield experience let him instantly recognized it for what it was, a bullet wound.

"You've been shot." He said somewhat shocked. "I know, I was there..." The Quarien said sarcastically, causing John to chuckle.

"Come here." Commanded the N7 operative, leading her carfuly through the crowd, over to a store that sold cloths.

"Can I help you..." asked the same Turian that had ignored the Quarien earlier, just as Shepard ignored him now. He grabbed the nearest article of clothing he could find and ripped off the sleeve.

"What are you doing!" Asked the now indignant Turian. John, took the girls arm and wrapped the remains of the sleeve around the wound tightly, causing her to gasp in pain. "There. That should hold until we get you to a doctor." He said, patting her arm.

The furious Turian was about to round on him, when John slapped a credit chit in his hand. "Next time, don't be such an ass." He said, walking out of the store, while the Turian gawked at the number on the chit, an amount considerably higher than the price of the shirt.

"Im sorry, I didn't catch your name." Said John, as they approached the Avena terminal. "Sorry! I-its Tali... Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya." She said, cradling her arm now. John smiled at her nervousness. It was cute really. "Nice to meet you Tali'Zorah." He said, looking over at her.

"Its just Tali... I..." she nearly fell over, before John caught her. He held her up and helped support her. "You okay?" He asked, wondering how much blood she had lost exactly, as she coughed. "No... I'm running a fever... I can't really see streight... I think im delirious..."

John held her up and helped her walk over to the Avena terminal. "Just hold on, i'll get you to a doctor." She nodded and let him help her walk.

"Where's the nearest medical clinic?" He asked the stations resident Asari VI.

5 minutes later they in an elevator, heading to the upper wards, a free-clinic run by a 'Doctor Michelle'. Tali was silently leaning against the elevator to stop herself from falling over. John could see her starring at him out of the corner of his eye as the elevator slowly ascended. When turn to look however, she looked away shyly.

John had to admit, her thighs and ass where truly a sight. He knew he shouldn't be oogleing a wounded girl. But he'd never seen an alien so... exotic.

"So Tali. Want to tell me who was shooting at you?" He asked, trying to discard his previous thoughts.

She looked at the floor nervously, fidgeting with her hands. "I... somebody is after me." The Quarien continued wringing her hands together, leaning her back against the railing.

"Why would somebody be after you?" He asked curiously, hoping he wouldn't have to deal with them. He was in enough trouble with Udina and the Council already without a firefight in the Wards.

Tali continued to observe her hands, fascinated by them. Shepard noticed however that she was shaking. "I... I-Ive never k-killed anyone... b-but today..." she said, extreamly shaken by her experience.

Shepard crossed the elevator and hugged her. She gasped softly and trembled as he help her whether from the fever or nerves he didn't know. "Its alright..." He said, leaving a little space between them. "You were defendeding yourself, right?"

She nodded and he gave her a squeeze. "You didn't do anything wrong. I know its not easy, believe me, it never is." He felt her calm down a bit as he hugged her, trying to calm her obviously frayed nerves.

"What is with this elevator? Thing is slower than an Elcor." Asked Shepard, earning a laugh from Tali. "There ya go." He said, grinning. "You'll be okay Tali. Just remember that you were only protecting yourself."

She nodded and he released her just as the elevator doors opened. "Come on." Shepard helped her keep her balance as they made their way out of the elevator and towards a helpful sign that pointed them in the direction of the med clinic.

Fortunantly the clinic wasn't at all far from the elevator and they were able to make it in just under 3 minutes. The doctor that ran the clinic had jumped into action, no questions asked.

The Quarien lay on a medical table while John sat in a chair not from from her bed. Doctor Michelle Cole was sterilizing herself in preparation for the procedure, so he would wait around until he knew she was safe.

His Omni-Tool flashed into life with a priority message from Captain Anderson however. He stood up and walked a short distance away before picking up. "Shepard." Anderson appeared on the vid screen of his Omni-Tool automatically. "Yes Captain?" Asked Shepard, automatically snapping to attention, even though it was just a vid-call.

"The Council is ready for us. Gather your team and meet me at the Council chambers in the Citadel tower ASAP." The Alliance Captain ordered him.

John snapped off a crisp salute. "Yes sir. We'll be there shortly." "Good. Anderson out." With a nod the Captain hung up and Shepard sighed, making his way back to the Quariens bed.

"Feeling any better?" He asked, pulling a chair up beside her and sitting down. "A little." Tali nodded, "Doctor Michelle really knows her stuff."

John smiled. "Glad to hear it. Had me worried there for a bit, that fever really hit you hard."

"Thankyou..." Tali said, looking up at him shyly. "For everything..." John waved it off. "It was no trouble. Im just glad your safe." She nodded and lay her head back down on the pillow, stealing a glance over at him.

After a bit John stood up. "Well, i've got to get going Tali. I really wish I could stay and make sure your okay, but I've got an urgent hearing to get to."

"Oh..." she said, obviously dissapointed. "Okay... thanks again."

Shepard smiled. "Your welcome. I'll come by and check on you later if I can. Hope you get better."

With that he turned around and walked towards the clinics exit, pulling up Alenko and Williams on his Omni-Tool to arrange a meeting spot.

(6 hours later)

With a surge of biotic energy form Lieutenant Alenko, the last merc fell dead. The smoke from the brief exchange of gunfire, and one well placed grenade hung in the air as the group made sure the room was secure. While Garrus and Kaiden went to check his computer, Shepard stormed over to Fist and stepped on his chest, causing the crimeboss to yell in pain as a pistol was aimed at his head.

"Where is the Quarien." The N7 Operative demanded, throughly pissed.

"I don't know what your talking about!" Cried Fist from the floor. Shepard stepped on his wound, still oozing blood. "Bullshit. Tell me where she is or I'll let my new buddy Wrex here have some fun with you." Wrex chuckled darkly behind him.

"Alright! Alright!" John eased off a bit, but still made sure to keep some pressure on the criminals chest. "She's not here! I swear! She insisted on speaking with the Shadow Broker personally!"

"Face to face?" Scoffed the Krogan. "Impossible. Even I was hired through an agent."

"She didn't know that. I told her he'd meet with her... but when she gets there Sarens men will be waiting." Fist said, trying to sit up, but Shepard wouldn't let him. Instead he kicked fist in the head. He used his biotics to slam the criminal against the wall.

"Where! Where is she!" Shepard yelled, sticking the barrel of his pistol into Fist's wound. "Agghhhh! The back ally, just around the block from the club!"

"I know the place." Said the C-Sec Officer, looking up from the terminal. "I can get us there, but we'd better hurry. Im guessing that Quarien dosnt have much time."

"Let's go. Ashley, Kaiden, stay here with this piece of shit and see if you can find out anything more about what Saren is..."

He was interrupted by a shotgun blast from the Krogan, who had just obliterated Fist's head. Pistols were immidiantly trained on him. "What the hell are you doing!" Demanded Shepard, turning to face the Krogan bounty hunter.

"Fulfilling my contract. He was of no use to you anymore anyways." Wrex said calmly in a casual baritone voice.

John wasn't going to shed a tear over Fist, but all the same... it didn't matter, he didn't have time to deal with this. "Just warn me next time. We don't kill unarmed prisoners." Said Shepard, in a calm but firm voice.

The Krogan grinned, somthing that unnerved the Marine. "I seem to recall that you do, 'Butcher of Elysium.'"

John clenched his fists in anger, glareing at the Krogan, but decided not to press the issue, they were running out of time. "Williams, Alenko; stay here and find out whatever you can from Fist's OSD terminal." Shepard ordered, not taking his eyes off of Wrex.

"With all due respect sir, I don't think..." Williams began, glancing at the two aliens. Shepard shot her a look that could pierce a Drednaught's hull, stopping her cold, before she could even finish her thought. "Yes sir." Said the Marine reluctantly.

"Garrus, get us to that alley. Now." The Turian nodded and, checking his pistol, lead the way out of the former crimelords office. "It isn't far, we should be able to make it in time, but we've got to hurry."

Sprinting at a dead run, Shepard and Wrex followed the Turian back the way the came. They passed the still fresh corpses of the mercs, guards and bouncers they'd killed to get to Fist. Only stopping to shot a wounded guard who had tried to get the jump on them by playing dead.

Johns thoughts drifted towards the girl he had left in the clinic. Why hadn't she told him Saren was after her, or tell him about the evidence?

Because she had just been attacked by assassins, his mind answered him. Her suit breach was making her delirious and she hadn't known if she could trust him. Or mabey she had planned to, but he had left so quickly...

It didn't matter, he decided. What's done is done. All that did matter, was getting to her in time.

His thoughts drifted to her feminine curves as he ran, the charging Krogan giving those in their way more than enough reason to move. John had never met anyone like her... she was damn cute with how shy she had been around him. Even though they had only met for a short time, there was somthing about her... Shepard wasn't going to let them hurt her, he would save her, he had to.

"Its just through here!" The C-Sec officer called back over his shoulder, pointing out a door ahead. "Safeties off! Check your targets, do not hit the Quarien! Garrus, hang back a bit a cover me and Wrex, call out targets as they appear!" The N7 Marine commanded, snapping back into combat mode.

The door opened for them and they charged through, weapons at the ready and scanning for targets. "Clear! Must be further into the Alley!" Called out Wrex, gesturing down a set of stairs.

They pushed up, moving methodically down the alleyway. "I see them! Just ahead!" Called out Garrus who was on point.

Shepard sprinted up front to him and crouched next to him. There was Tali, unharmed. He let go of the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. However, a Turian was standing infront of her, asking her somthing. He felt an odd surg of anger as he watched the aliens hand slid down her body, before being slapped away.

Shit hit the fan at record speed. No sooner had John spotted the two Salarien assassins moving in on her, than the Quarien threw down a techmine, killing the first Salarien and stunning the Turian, before diving behind cover and pulling out her shotgun.

"Move in! Clear'em out!" Ordered Shepard, sprinting out of his cover. Wrex charged forward with him, Garrus staying behind to provide cover. The Salarien left standing didn't know what hit him as the Krogan barreled into him, tossing the alien against the wall and finishing it off with 2 quick shotgun blasts.

The Turian, who had been closing in on Tali, whipped around to face John just as a powerful biotic warp hit him, disabling his regenrating shields and shredding apart the front of his armor. As he staggered back in shock, his blood pooling on the ground infront of him, he was finished off by a well placed shot to the head from Garrus.

Tali looked up at John in shock as he walked over to where she was taking cover and offered her his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked, inspecting her for wounds as she took his hand and got to her feet.

"I-I... Fist set me up!" She said angrily, not really answering Johns question. "I knew I couldn't trust him!"

"Looks like she's fine. Handled herself pretty well." Commented Garrus, walking up to the, stowing his pistol.

"How did you..." Tali began, her eyes never leaving Shepard, only to be interrupted by him. "We know about the data. You should have told me, I... we could have protected you." He said, scrutinizing her.

"I know. Im sorry. I wanted to, but there was so much going on and with the fever I couldn't think straight and then before I could tell you you had left and I had no way to get hold of you." She rambled, collapsing her shotgun and stowing it behind her back, before wringing her hands infront of her.

"But why go to Fist? You could have just waited there or gone to C-Sec." Inquired Garrus, stepping up beside Shepard, forcing the Quarien to tear her eyes away from the human.

"He came to me personally. Said the Shadow Broker was willing to make a deal for the data and that he would offer protection in return..." she said sadly. "I didn't have much of a choice. He had guards with him and I was still recovering. I couldn't have fought them off, not by myself..."

She turned and looked back at Shepard. "But now I can repay you, for saving my life twice now... I'll give you the data, and do whatever I can to help."

* * *

So yeah. There ya have it.

For those of you wondering why im not posting another chapter of Spherite yet, its because im working on it. So shut up.

Didnt get anyone to beta this thing so sorry if its a mess.


	2. Chapter 2

Special thanks to: Rixham and crazylilrabit

Thanks for the help you two!

* * *

"So, see anything you like?" Asked Shepard, sounding slightly amused, as they walked into the store.

Tali was speechless. All around her was a technological paradise, filled with every last kind of tech she could imagine. She could spend days in this store and still have enough to keep her occupied for weeks. The displays were lined with Omni-tools, drone upgrades, shield mods, VI's... the list went on and on.

She almost started bouncing, she was so excited when she saw that they even had a Savant X. It was a combat engineers dream omni-tool. It had everything from top of the line hacking programs, calibration software and scanning programs that could pick out the smallest malfunction in any equipment.

But she didn't even want to look at the price, despite the fact Shepard had said to get anything she thought would help, she knew it was far to expensive. Not to mention that Serrice Council did extensive interviews into who purchased their wares, and their was no way they'd sell to a Quarien on her pilgrimage. She felt her heart fall, and her excitement turn into dissapointment.

Discouraged, she instead made her way over to the displays of the logic arrest tools. Selecting a model 6, she brought it over to Shepard, who was examining some of the newest personal defense shields.

"Uhm... this should be good Commander." She had learned that trying to push credits on him was hopeless, for even if she somehow managed to do it, she would always find a credit chit with more than the amount she had spent on it later in her locker.

Looking up at her, he took the Omni-tool and examined it. A frown crossed his face. "Tali, there are a lot more models here,don't you want something better than just this basic model?" He asked curiously, looking around the store.

"No!" She said hurriedly. "Its fine. It has everything I need, even an upgrade for..." But he wasn't listening, having already flagged down an Asari store clerk, and she knew he wasn't asking her a question, he had been stating a fact.

"Yes sir, may I help you?" She asked politely, glancing at Tali. "Yes, can we see your top of the line omni-tools please?" Asked the commander, handing the Asari the Logic Arrest Tool.

"Of course sir, right this way." The clerk, turned gracefully and led the way over to where the Serrice Council models sat in a flashy display. "And what price range are you looking for sir?" She asked, stepping behind the counter.

"Price is no issue." Shepard commented, bending to examine the Savant models as the clerks eyes almost literally lit up. "Now this is much better, a Savant X." Shepard said, pointing it out to her, as she fidgeted nervously. She knew that the clerk wouldn't allow the omni-tool to be purchased for her use and it was just furthering her dissapointment. "I-I... but Shepard, that's too expensive, I can't let you..." she began, already knowing it was hopeless.

"Tali, don't worry about it." He reassured her, looking up at her with that infuriating grin on his face, she hated that grin. It told her 'I don't care what you say I am going to do what I want to do.' But at the same time that smile made her weak in the knees, which only caused her to hate it more.

"But the Logic Arrest Tool is..." She began, she would try to fight that smile, one more time.

"Not even in the same league as these." He finished for her, pointing to the display.

"With respect sir," began the Asari, again glancing at Tali. "Serrice Counsel requires a through interview with those that use their products. And generally speaking they don't usually let Quariens purchase their wares."

Shepard turned to face the Asari fully, a frown crossing his face. "And why would that be?" He asked.

"Serrice Counsel isnt just concerned with profit, they tend to be very picky about who buys their products." The clerk said, almost as if she was reading a dictation.

"Well I'm sure they'd be happy to make an exception, just this once don't you?" Asked Shepard, now frowning at the clerk. "Seeing how as it's a SPECTRE that's buying it."

This caused the Asari's mouth to drop open in surprise. "Oh! I... I didn't realize..." But the Commander waved her off. "Forget it. Just ring up that Savant X for my friend here and we'll call it even."

She nodded as Shepard handed her a credit chit before Tali could even protest. Tali was shocked. She knew he was excellent at getting his way, but this was ridiculous. "B-but Shepard! I can't just..." she started, but he turned back to her, silencing her with that stupid grin that she adored.

"Tali, don't worry so much. I'm more than happy to get it for you."

"Besides," he added, stretching. "We need every advantage we can get for this fight."

She knew he was right, they needed every extra bit of shielding, tech and ammo while going up against Saren's Geth. Resigning herself to the inevitable, she proceeded to pout while trying to come up with a way to get him back for this.

"Here you are Commander." Said the Asari, about 10 minutes later, handing him back his credit chit and the brand new Omni-tool. "I was able to use your SPECTRE status to bypass the whole interview process. Let me know if there's anything more I can do for you."

Shepard took the items and thanked the clerk, paying no attention to the change in the tone of her voice or much different look she was giving him. Instead, he handed her the Omni-tool.

"Shepard..." she began only to be interrupted, yet again, but this time by the flashing light of his omni-tool, alerting him to an incoming call.

Grinning that insatiable grin of his, knowing he had won, he answered it. A video screen popped into existence above his forearm, a human man appearing on it.

"Commander Shepard? This is Lieutenant Girard, with Citadel Security." The man on the screen said, saluting.

"How can I help you Lieutenant?"

"Well, Sir... I'm over in docking bay D42. There's a woman here, she was recently rescued from Batarian space. She... Sir she says she's from Mindior. I'm guessing she was captured during the raid..." The Lieutenant finished.

Tali looked up at Shepard in surprise. His face now a stony mask, all previous emotion and happiness gone. She knew what had happened to him when he was younger, had read about it on the extranet when she had first come aboard the Normandy. On the odd occasion he would mention it sometimes, but never more than a few words. She was flooded with concern, but unsure how to try and reach out to him.

"She's been a slave for 10 years? Is she okay?" Shepard asked, incredulously.

"Not really Sir... she's... we tried to get her help, but somehow she got free. She grabbed a gun from one of my men and is held up here in the docking bay..."

The Lieutenant took a deep breath. "Sir... she... she says she wants to die."

Tali gasped softly, silenty cursing the stupidity of the officer who had let her have a gun. 'That poor woman.' She thought to herself. The commanders face however was still remained unreadable.

"You said Docking bay C42?" Asked Shepard, now starting to walk away at a brisk pace out of the store, with Tali immediately following.

"Yes Sir! I had hoped that you might be able to talk to her. Sense you were... well..." the C-Sec officer finished lamely.

"Sit tight Lieutenant. I'm on my way." Shepard closed the link and continued at a brisk pace towards a taxi terminal. Tali could see his fists were clenched tight, eyes focused straight ahead. She had never seen him like this before and was worried for him, but didn't say anything, she wasn't sure she should try and breach a topic like this before going into what could be a dangerous situation.

He activated the terminal, calling for a taxi, and leaned against the railing, starring out at the Wards extending before them. Tali was still mulling over what she could possibly say to him, everything inside told her to leave him to his thoughts, but she didn't like seeing him like this.

Throwing caution to the wind she stepped up closer beside him. "Are you alright?" For awhile he didn't show any sign of recognition, just continued to stare out at the Wards, lost in thought.

As the taxi pulled up to them however, he let out a long slow sigh, before turning to face her, a forced grin on his face. "I'll be ok." He opened the aircar door for her.

After inserting a credit chit into the meter and stating their destination they rode in silence, with Shepard silently starring out the window at the passing aircars and Tali casting furtive glances at him.

She had opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it. "You going to try that Savant X on?" He asked, looking over with sudden enthusiasm, as though eager to change the subject.

Tali put her hand on the package, but didn't look at it, never taking her eyes off of her commander. "Shepard..." she began, only to be cut off by him again.

"Do you think the games will be any better on it? Maybe you'll finally be able to beat Garrus in 'Call of Honor.'" He joked, but the grin on his face didn't reach his eyes. She studied him, and although she wasn't an expert on Humans, she could easily see the pain behind his piercing blue gaze. Without thinking, she reached over and grabbed his hand.

"Shepard... it's ok." She breathed.

Tali had no idea what she was doing, she shouldn't have just grabbed his hand like that, not without asking first. She looked down at their joined hands, panic rising inside her. 'Stupid girl... he doesn't like you like that. What are you...' But before she could chastise herself further, she felt his hand gently squeeze hers.

She looked up and gasped softly as he starred back at her with those piercing blue eyes, a relaxed smile on his face. "I know... thank you Tali. I'm glad you're here." He said, never taking his eyes off her. The young Quarien felt a heat rise in her chest and a blush spread across her cheeks at his words and squeezed his hand back in response, never taking her eyes off of him as well. The automated voice in the Taxi announced that they had arrived at their destination, causing her to jump, she had forgotten where they were.

Shepard gave her hand one last squeeze before stepping out of the Taxi and onto the docks, where a Turian C-Sec officer was waiting for them. "Sir!" The Turian snapped a crisp salute, which Shepard quickly returned.

"Where is she?" Asked the Commander.

"Just up here sir, past the loading dock."

The Turian turned, casting a curious glance in Tali's direction, and led them down through a door to the loading dock. They walked in silence for a few minutes, before they came to a group of parked C-Sec squad cars, their lights flashing silently with a small number of officers gathered around them. A human officer glanced up at their arrival and made his way quickly over to them.

"Commander Shepard!" The officer also snapped a crisp Salute. "Lieutenant Girard, we spoke earlier."

Again, Shepard saluted back while Tali stood off to his side a bit, unsure of her role here. "Good to meet you Lieutenant, I just wish it were under better circumstances. What's the situation?"

Girard activated his omni-tool and brought up a map of the area for them to see. "She's held up here." He began, highlighting a small area just ahead of them. "We've been trying to talk her down but every time we get close she threatens to shoot herself."

He highlighted a separate area 300 meters away from the woman's location and about 5 floors up. "I've got a sniper in position here, but I doubt we'll need it. She's only a danger to herself, it's just standard procedure in these situations."

He closed his omni-tool and took a small injection-gun out of his holster and handed it to Shepard. "Here, take this. Its a sedative, but it'd rather not force it on her, she's been through enough. Also, im sending you a signal to transmit when you've finished. We have a medical team standing by to transport her safely."

The Commander nodded, accepting the sedative and putting it in his belt while both his and Tali's omni-tool beeped, acknowledging the signal. "Anything you can tell me about her? Name, age, stuff like that." Shepard asked, but the Lieutenant shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid there's not much I can give you. We couldn't even get her to tell us her name, she just kept calling herself an animal..."

The Commander visibly bristled at this, but his voice didn't show it. "Understood. Well, let's get started." Girard nodded and led them up a short distance past the squad cars to a ramp. "Good luck Commander. Please, if you think she's going to pull the trigger, just back off for a bit, we can always try later when she's calmed down a bit." He glanced at Tali, before walking back down the ramp.

Shepard took a long deep shaky breath, his head bent to the ground and his eyes closed. He looked at Tali and she felt that burning sensation in her chest again as she stared back, she could spend days lost in his eyes. She jumped and let out a small gasp, startled as she felt him take her hand in his, giving her another small squeeze, which she returned.

With another deep breath he gently let go of her hand and they began to cautiously walk up the ramp, Shepard leading the way. Tali activated her personal kinetic barriers, just as a precaution, but didn't see Shepard do the same. As they drew nearer to the top she heard soft murmuring coming from just up ahead, behind a shipping create.

Tali hung back a bit but was still able to get a good look at the young girl when she came into view. She was wearing an Alliance crewman uniform, probably given to her by her rescuers, her head had a thin patch of hair that did little to hide the scars and burns that covered it. She whirled around at the sound of their footsteps and pointed the gun she had taken at Shepard.

"Stop! Stop! Wha... what are you?" She yelled, the pistol shaking in her hand, eyes darting back and forth between Tali and Shepard.

"My name is John Shepard, I'm with the Alliance. What's yours?" The Commander asked in a calm friendly tone with a smile.

"Animals don't get names... The masters put their symbols on her. Hot metal all over her back. She screams when they do it!" She focused on Shepard, shaking.

"You're not an animal. What did your parents call you?" Shepard asked sweetly.

"She remembers a lot of things... Talitha. They call her that. She... she doesn't remember the rest. Leave her alone!" She clenched her eyes tight, hands grasping either side of her head.

"Talitha, you grew up on Mindoir. Do you remember that?" Shepard tried to keep her attention.

"Fires. Smells of smoke and burning meat... Animals screaming as the masters cage them! As they put the metal to their backs Wires in their brains... she pretends to be dead... but they know! She didn't fight. She was already broken when they put the wires in." Tali glanced over at Shepard, but if this statement bothered him, he didn't show it.

"Talitha. You were six years old. Nobody blames you for staying quiet and hiding. The only person blaming you, is you." Shepard almost whispered, his eyes never leaving hers.

"She wants to believe that... wants to change. She doesn't want to... be there anymore. In the pen... in the cages. Laying quiet while... while they do things to her." She shivered, wrapping her arms around her chest protectively. Tali shuddered slightly at the thought of what she meant and what she had suffered at the hands of Batarians.

"Talitha, I'm going to take a step towards you okay?" The Commander asked cautiously. She didn't respond however, but with the pistol pointed at the floor, Shepard slowly took a step toward the girl.

"She doesn't want! Don't touch her!" She suddenly snapped, the gun pointing back up at Shepard.

"It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you Talitha, I just want to talk." The Commander put his hands above his head to show her he didn't have anything. "Talitha, I grew up on Mindoir. I lived there with my family too."

"Lying!" Shrieked Talitha, taking a step towards Shepard, the pistol aimed at his head. "You get hit for Lying! Get the buzz or the burning! Can't be there..." She backed down for a second, before rounding on him again. "Why are you alive!" She demanded. "Why are you! Why aren't you like her! Broken... only fit to dig and carry!"

Tali gasped and watched as Shepard visibly flinched, taking a step back, his eyes wide in shock. Tears began to form in Tali's eyes as she watched him hang his head with pain evident in his features. Talitha stood, pistol still aimed at him, as he took a deep shakey breath and looked up at her, his face a stony mask again.

"For a long time I was broken Talitha..." Shepard almost whispered. "I lost everything... my mom, my dad, my brother... my friends... my childhood... my entire family." Talitha lowered the gun as he spoke, her eyes going wide, as tears fell silently from Tali's eyes. "I had to put myself back together and pick myself up just to keep going."

For a short while, Talitha stared at him, a confused look on her face. "You... you loose your mommy and daddy... but you don't dig... you don't carry... you stand up... she wishes she could stand up..." She lowered the gun and wiped her eyes.

"What about your parents Talitha? Do you remember them?" Asked Shepard, pain still in his voice.

"... Daddy's melting... Doesn't want to see that. Stupid, stupid, don't look! Don't look!" Talitha cover her eyes with her hands and rocked back and forth as she scolded herself.

"I know it hurts Talitha... I'm sorry. But you need to deal with this. What happened? Think back." Shepard asked calmly, though Tali could see his fists clenched slightly. The young girl slowly stopped rocking and took a shaky breath before starring off into space for a minute.

"When she thinks... Water comes out of her eyes. The masters beat her when she wastes water... So she doesn't think anymore." She looked at Shepard, as though waiting for him to start hitting her. When he nodded for her to continue instead, she relaxed her stance a bit and took another shaky breath.

"She sees them. Mommy and Daddy... burning, melting... they can't even say anything to her!" Tears began to flow from her eyes and down her cheeks and she fell to her knees, the pistol falling from her hands, looking up at the Commander with teary eyes. "They're dead Shepard. They tried to save her and the masters burn them! Can she stop remembering now? Please!"

Tali watched, with tears in her own eyes, as John slowly bent down in front of the girl and extended his hand to her. Talitha looked at him, then at his hand and back, tears still falling in rivers from her eyes. She slowly reached out and took his hand. Without warning, she jumped into him, almost putting him on his back.

Tali, startled by the sudden action of the girl, was about to draw her own pistol when she stopped dead and saw Talitha's head on Johns shoulder, sobbing desperately as Shepard held her. She felt an odd twinge of jealousy at the sight, but pushed it away, a small smile forming instead as her own tears fell.

Shepard held her as she cried for a few minutes until her breathing evened out and she calmed down a bit, her sobs now reduced to sniffles as the N7 operative gently pulled back to look her in the eyes, pulling the injection-gun out of his belt.

"Talitha, this will make you sleep. If you fall asleep they'll take you to a place were you can get better. Do you want that?" He said, showing her the injection-gun. Talitha looked at him, sniffling, for a few seconds before she nodded and pulled the injection-gun towards her. Shepard pressed it gently against her neck and pulled the trigger, causing her to let out a soft gasp.

Shepard pulled the broken girl back against him as the drug began to take effect. "Will she have bad dreams?" Talitha almost whispered, but Tali's audio emulators let her hear her clearly as happy tears now fell from her eyes.

"No." Shepard said softly, rocking Talitha slowly. "You'll dream of a warm and safe place. And when you wake up, you'll be there." Her head lay on his chest as the drug began to take full effect. "It hurts when she... when I... remember... me... But I want to remember..."

Tali activated her omni-tool and sent the all clear signal to the C-Sec officer just down the ramp to inform him of the situation. Seconds later, a medical team was sent up with a C-Sec escort. The Quarien watched as Shepard helped them load Talitha's unconscious form carefully onto a gurney and take her back down the ramp to a waiting ambulance.

As Tali stood with Shepard, trying to figure out what to say, Lieutenant Gerard came up to them and shook the Commanders hand. "Thank you Commander, that meant a lot to my men and I. I didn't want to hurt her." The Lieutenant looked away. "Its just... when I see her curled into a ball and shivering... she was only six! Why the hell are we out here if we can't keep one little girl safe?"

Shepard put a hand on his shoulder. "Bad things happen to good people Lieutenant, that's why you and I are here. Don't wring your hands over her; help her." He said, sagely, studying the C-Sec officer.

A small grin came across Gerards face. "Yes Sir! And, thanks again Commander. We'll make sure she gets the help she needs." With one last salute, he retreated back down the ramp, leaving Shepard and Tali by themselves.

She watched as he hung his head sadly, his back to her. The young Quarien still didn't know what to say to him. Should she tell him how sorry she was, or ask him if he was okay? But before she could think of anything to say or do, he turned to her. "So? Want to go try out that Savant X?" He smiled sadly, walking over to her.

She put her hand on her hip, where the package still sat and stared at the human. "Shepard... I..." She began, but couldn't find the words. "I don't really know what to say." She confessed, watching him carefully.

He sighed, and sat down on a create. "There's nothing to say." She sat down next to him as he starred off into space. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to lose everything in one horrible day and she desperately wished she could think of something to say.

He chuckled slightly, almost making her jump. "Ya' know... I never wanted to be a soldier when I was growing up."

"Really?" She asked, surprised at this news. Shepard was an incredible soldier and a brilliant tactician, as she had witnessed a dozen times already. Though, now that she thought about it, it made sense.

He nodded, and grinned at her surprise. "Yeah. That was my brothers dream, to enlist and go explore the galaxy." He snorted, shaking his head. "We used to stay up all night, and make up all these adventures of fighting pirates, finding lost treasure and saving earth from space monsters."

He leaned back and looked up at the Ward arms, Tali listening intently. "But no... I wanted to be a farmer, just like my dad." He finished sadly.

Her hand somehow found his and the heat in her chest rose to new heights as they sat together, watching the ships drift slowly by, while Shepard watched her try out her new omni-tool.

* * *

For those of you wondering why i havnt updated Spherite yet... its coming. writers block is a bitch.

Impatiant things you...


	3. Chapter 3

Short and sweet. I hope.

Up for suggestions and requests! Send'em my way.

* * *

/Asteroid-X57

The constant tapping sound in the back of the Mako was starting to bother him. It was understandable that she was worried about him, they hadn't heard any radio contact from them for almost half an hour now. But Kaiden Alenko's nerves were already shot from the intense stress filled day of combat and the Quarien tapping her foot nervously from behind him was annoying the hell out of him, his migraine was already bad enough.

"You don't think anything happened to them do you?" Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya asked the biotic nervously.  
Kaiden sighed, wishing his head would stop throbbing in pain. "They're fine." He answered reassuringly, "He's got Wrex and Garrus with him."

"But what about that explosion we heard earlier?"

"Shepard said the terrorists had bombs, they probably set one off." Ashely said from the gunners seat, while still keeping a close eye out for hostiles. When Kaiden looked over at the Quarien though, she didn't look very convinced. To sooth her worries he pulled up the teams vitals and leaned over to show her.

"See? Green across the board. Except for Shepard's pulse and blood pressure is quite high, but nothing dangerous."

"I'm going to go check to make sure..." The young Quarian said, and before he could reach over and stop her, she had opened the Mako's hatch and dashed out of it, headed for the door to the main complex.

"Tali! Wait! Get back here!"

- -

His armored fist collided with the side of the smug Batarian's face again and again, only stopping when he felt the alien's jaw shatter. The rage surged through his veins, burning with the intensity of a super nova. Grabbing the murdering cowards skull, he held it steady as he brought his knee up, forcing the skull downward at the same time. Years of hatred, anger and pain were given life.

Hate for what they had done to him, to his family, to his friends and to his childhood. Anger at the fact that they had gotten away, that he couldn't stop them, that they had made him choose whether he wanted his mother or father to die first. And above all else, the pain of watching his brother being gunned down and his girlfriend dragged screaming into a cage. The pain he would have to carry for the rest of his life.

Pure fury coursed through him as he tossed the scum aside into a crate with a biotic throw.

His companions, Garrus and Wrex, casually watched from the side, neither saying a word, understanding what their friend was going through. The Krogen seemed bored by the proceedings, though he had rather enjoyed watching the Spectre shoot the Batarian in the kneecap. Garrus however watched with rapt attention, the ghost of a smile crossing his mandibles as he vividly recalled his own revenge on doctor "Heart".

Balak spat up a few drops of blood at Shepard's feet. "I would expect nothing less from 'the butcher of Elysium." The alien half laughed, half coughed from the floor. "You and I are more alike than you think, butcher."

Shepard was shaking with anger and hate. "I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!" He roared, before using a biotic slam on the scum before him.

Balak coughed up a pool of blood onto the floor, wheezing, and laughed. "You... can kill me... but there will be thousands more. And... when the vids flash... with your colonies destroyed... and enslaved... when we burn Earth to the ground... you will know that the Batarians have won..." Another cough, another spatter of blood on the floor.

Shepard stepped on his kneecap, causing him to scream in utter agony as the armored boot pressed down harder on the jagged hole of what was left of his knee. "Your species is nothing more than a collection of cowards, a blight upon this galaxy." Cold hard fury pumped through him, consuming him and he embraced it willingly. With a biotic pull he instantly had him up off the ground and grabbed Balak's dislocated shoulder, forcing it behind his back and holding him in place, smashing him hard into the create once again.

In a flash, he pulled his N7 combat knife from his armor and held it against the bastards throat. "Die, like the coward you are." Shepard almost whispered, pressing the blade against the soft yielding flesh.

As he did however, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to look. Hopefully, some foolish wounded terrorist thought they could get the jump on him, as he was all to eager for another outlet of his wrath.

However, it wasn't a Batarian, it wasn't Wrex or Garrus or even the old Chinese man that was in charge of this god awful rock. It was far, far worse... It was Tali. She was standing in the entrance to the inner complex, watching him, her pearlesant opal eyes wide with a mix of horror and fear behind her mask.

What was she so afraid of? The terrorists were all dead and all that was left as the price of trash he was about to kill...

The realization hit him with the force of a dreadnoughts main gun. It was him. She was terrified... of him. Of the butcher of Elysium, something he had sworn to never become again.

The knife slipped from his grasp and Balak fell to the floor with a loud thud, all the rage and anger gone from him in an instant, he was left feeling cold and empty. Balak was right... he was a monster. He was no better than the Batarian's he had killed on this god-forsaken rock.

Startled by his sudden in-action, Wrex turned and saw what Shepard was looking at, nudging Garrus as he did. The Krogan stomped over and grabbed Balak, dragging him away from the Commander, while Garrus walked over to confront the Quarian on why she wasn't back in the Mako with the 2nd team, covering the entrance.

The Spectre looked away from her. He couldn't face her, didn't want to see her accusing eyes. She was the one thing he cared about, the innocent young Quarien whom he had tried so hard to shield from all the violence and death of his day-to-day life. And now she was terrified of him, of the monster he knew was buried inside him.

Looking at his hands he saw the blood on them, the smell of burnt flesh and cooked meat from the victims of the bomb finally registered with him. He was a monster, he had let his own hatred and lust for revenge control him. And the hostages had paid for it with their lives. Anguish boiled inside of him now, replacing the fire in his veins with cold numbness.

He slammed his fist into the wall. Again and again he punched the hard steel until his hand throbbed with pain. He shut his eyes, trying to regain some semblance of control, fearing that the pain would take over, just like it had all those years ago when he had lost everything. Talitha's words echoed in his head for the hundredth time; "Why aren't you like her! Why did you survive!"

He felt a soft three fingered hand on his arm. Looking to his right he saw Tali, standing there. Looking into her beautiful bright eyes he saw sadness and a bit of fear. Before he knew what was happening she had wrapped her suited arms around him and held him close. "Shh... Its alright..." she said, resting her helmeted head on his shoulder.

He gave in rather easily and hugged her back, his eyes closed tightly as he fought back tears. He poured all his anguish and helplessness into her as she held him close. She didn't say a word, just hugged him as he let everything go. After a few moments, he gently pushed away from her and looked her in the eyes. "Tali... I'm so sorry... I lost control, I shouldn't have..." he took a deep breath and looked away. "I can't... I'm sorry if I scared you... I can't stand the thought of you being afraid of me."

She tilted her head as he looked up at him. "Its okay." She said,giving him a small squeeze. "I trust you Shepard... I could never be afraid of you." He hugged her again tightly, letting go of everything except the young Quarian in his arms.


End file.
